These oatmeal cookies vanish quickly! They're lightly spiced, perfectly sweet and dense, with plenty of old fashioned oats.
Why you'll love this recipe
I have strict standards for oatmeal cookies! They must be SO amazingly delicious, I'd eat one off the bathroom floor. Too far? I agree. But you get the picture.
This oatmeal cookie recipe is what cookie dreams are made of ...
- Texture - Soft and chewy in the center with golden, crisp edges and plenty of oats!
- Flavor - Lightly spiced with cinnamon and full of oatey goodness.
- Thickness - Spreads just enough so it's not too thin or thick. It should feel heavy in your hands, but not bulky!
These classic oatmeal cookies are a crowd pleaser. Just be sure to set yourself one aside (or five!) before they disappear! You won't regret it!
Key Ingredients
- Unsalted butter - The butter should be room temperature, but not melted! If you forget to leave it on the counter, you can microwave it for a few seconds until it gives slightly when pressed. Try NOT to partially melt it. It's better it be slightly cold, than slightly melted.
- Sugar & brown sugar - To sweeten them! More brown sugar creates a chewier end result and irresistible texture.
- Egg + yolk - To bind and for added richness! Trust me on the extra yolk. It's ensures you get a moist, slightly dense, and chewy cookie.
- Rolled oats - This oatmeal cookie recipe works with old fashioned oats only! Avoid steel cut or instant oats, both which cook and absorb liquid differently.
- All-purpose flour - Be sure to use the spoon and level method for this recipe. Don't dunk your measuring cup into the flour bag or it will compress and give you too much. Instead spoon the flour into it, then level if off with the flat edge of a butter knife.
- Baking soda - For just the right amount of rise.
- Kosher salt - A little bit of salt enhances sweetness. Cut the amount in half if you only have table salt.
How to make oatmeal cookies
Homemade oatmeal cookies are a breeze to make!
Before you start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
I love silicone baking mats! I have two and frankly, wish I had a third. They're flexible, reusable, and prevent sticking!
1. Cream butter & sugars
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars until lighter in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- You can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer and a large bowl. Just be sure the butter is room temp so it's not hard to mix!
2. Add egg + yolk
- Add the egg and the yolk to the butter mixture.
- Beat until incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure it's all mixed together.
3. Add dry ingredients
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture.
- Beat on low speed so the flour doesn't poof outside of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat until incorporated.
- Don't overmix the cookie dough. Overmixed cookies spread more and not in a good way!
4. Scoop & bake
- Scoop six 1.5-inch cookie dough balls onto the prepared sheet pan. Give them some space so they can spread without running into one another. I used a small cookie scoop. If you use a bigger one, you may need to adjust the baking time.
- Bake the cookies until the edges are golden brown and the middles look underdone, about 10 to 11 minutes. They shouldn't look all the way done or they will cool and get crispy!
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for at least 5 minutes. If you try to transfer them hot, they will fall apart! They set up as they cool.
- Repeat until all the cookie dough is baked.
Recipe Tips
- Use old-fashioned oats. Steel cut oats don't absorb enough liquid and instant oats absorb too much! This recipe is specifically made for rolled oats.
- I used a small cookie scoop that's 1.5 inches wide. If you use a bigger cookie scoop, you may need to add a minute or two to the baking time.
- Don't overbake the oatmeal cookies! Cookies should look brown around the edges when they're done. If the entire cookie looks golden, they're overbaked! The centers should look underdone when you remove them from the oven. They will set up as they cool!
- Don't try to transfer hot cookies. Hot cookies fall apart. It doesn't mean they're underbaked. Give them at least 5 minutes to cool first, preferably more.
Variations & Substitutions
- Make it gluten-free - Swap the all-purpose flour with Bob's Red Mill's 1:1 All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour in the blue bag. Use gluten-free certified oats!
- Make it dairy-free - Use dairy-free or vegan butter sticks in place of regular butter.
- Mix-ins - Feel free to add your favorite mix-ins! Raisins, chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, white chocolate chips, and dried cranberries are all delicious!
Storage & Freezing
Store:
- Store leftover oatmeal cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freeze:
Freeze the baked cookies OR the unbaked cookie dough.
- Transfer the baked cookies to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. After that, you risk freezer burn!
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough onto a lined sheet pan (or plate) and freeze. Transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into a zip-top bag and freeze. Bake as directed. You may need to add a few minutes if they're baked from frozen.
- Thaw baked cookies on the counter or microwave in 10-second increments until just warm. If you overheat them, they will fall apart.
FAQs
Instant oats absorb more moisture than rolled oats and thus act more like flour! If you swap instant oats when a recipe calls for rolled oats, the recipe won't come out right, especially in cookies! It's best to find a recipe that calls for instant oats if that's what you have on hand.
Two things cause dry oatmeal cookies - overbaking or mismeasuring ingredients. If you overbake a cookie, no matter how good the recipe, the results will be dry! Another reason is measuring more flour than the recipe calls for. If a recipe specifies to spoon the flour into the measuring cup, follow these instructions!
It just depends on the recipe! This oatmeal cookie recipe does not need to rest or chill. It's ready to go as soon as it's made!
More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes
- Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies
- Flourless Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Instant Oatmeal Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Homemade Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with the Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg + 1 yolk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg and yolk to the butter mixture and beat until incorporated.
- Add the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Mix until incorporated and the mixture forms a cookie dough.
- Use a small cookie scoop to scoop 6 cookies onto the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 11 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the centers look underdone.
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
Sk says
Can you use coconut palm sugar to replace brown sugar?
Carolyn says
I haven't tried it, but it should work. It may be a little less sweet though.
Kate says
Love this recipe! Used Bobs Redmill gluten free flour and doubled the cinnamon and added chopped pecans. Had to laugh at the part where you said can be stored for 3 days in airtight container. My cookies don't last 3 hours in our home.
Turtle says
Great cookie recipe, I add chocolate chips and raisins. Yum.